Latest news with #BusinessConnect
Business Upturn
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Upturn
Cogent Infotech's Anant Agarrwal Honored with National Business Ratna Award for Leadership Excellence
Anant Agarrwal, Director of Marketing and Inside Sales at Cogent Infotech , a global IT consulting and workforce solutions organization headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, has been honored with the prestigious National Business Ratna Award 2025 by Business Connect—in the category of Corporate Leader of the Year 2025. Business Wire India Anant Agarrwal, Director of Marketing and Inside Sales at Cogent Infotech , a global IT consulting and workforce solutions organization headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, has been honored with the prestigious National Business Ratna Award 2025 by Business Connect—in the category of Corporate Leader of the Year 2025. The award recognizes his exceptional ability to blend strategic thinking, innovative vision, and empathetic leadership to drive organizational growth. Anant's journey at Cogent Infotech has been defined not only by his knack for anticipating market trends but also by his deep commitment to fostering a culture of innovation and agility. He is known for driving strategic initiatives from concept to reality, ensuring flawless execution and measurable impact. Through disciplined implementation and decisive leadership, he has helped the organization continually innovate and excel in a rapidly evolving marketplace. Reflecting on this milestone, Anant attributes much of his success to the guidance of Cogent's leadership, particularly President Manu Mehta, CEO Nandan Banerjee, and his direct manager, Vice President Shane Rocque. He credits their strategic mentorship and unwavering belief in his potential as instrumental in shaping his leadership philosophy and strengthening his ability to navigate complex business environments. They have fostered a culture that not only inspires strategic thinking but also empowers leaders at every level to drive meaningful impact. Cogent Infotech's distinctive culture, carefully nurtured by Manu Mehta and Nandan Banerjee, promotes continuous learning, innovation, and cross-functional collaboration. Under their guidance and with sponsorship from Cogent, Anant completed an Executive MBA from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Kozhikode, enriching his strategic toolkit and preparing him to drive growth across global markets. Anant's strategic mindset took shape early in his career through formative experiences at The Times of India, where he developed insights into customer dynamics, strategic implementation, supply chain operations, and market strategy. During his tenure there, he proposed an innovative idea aimed at helping vernacular-language readers transition into English readers for The Times of India and increasing the adoption of The Economic Times within educational institutions. His suggestion involved including definitions for difficult English words at the bottom of each page, making the content more accessible and engaging for readers. Although the idea wasn't implemented at the time, The Economic Times has since introduced a similar feature, offering word meanings for select challenging terms, an initiative that closely aligns with Anant's original vision to enhance reader engagement and expand readership. Following his time at The Times of India , Anant further honed his skills at Club Mahindra, where he deepened his understanding of consumer behavior and developed the agility required to respond to rapidly changing market demands. At Cogent Infotech, Anant's career has progressed rapidly. Having joined the organization in 2021 as an Assistant Brand Manager, he rose through the ranks to become the Director of Marketing and Inside Sales. Under Shane Rocque's mentorship, he mastered the nuances of aligning global teams, managing cross-functional challenges, and executing complex strategic initiatives. Shane's influence reinforced Anant's conviction that clarity in strategic direction and empowered teams are essential for sustained success. Beyond his corporate achievements, Anant is also the creator of The Power of 3M , a blog ranked among the top 25 globally in the mythology category. Through this platform, he blends mythology, management, and mindset to offer leadership insights grounded in timeless wisdom. Drawing from shlokas and stories from the Bhagavad Gita and the Mahabharata, he interprets ancient teachings and translates them into modern management lessons, bridging past wisdom with today's business realities. For Anant, The Power of 3M is more than a blog—it's a reflection of his belief in integrating diverse knowledge streams to inspire modern leadership and foster innovative thinking. Anant says, "I define success as more than just achieving performance metrics. I believe that true success is built on creating the environment that makes those outcomes possible. For me, results reflect the underlying culture: a high-performing team isn't built by chance but through deliberate design.' He evaluates success through tangible signals: the number of collaborative solutions developed, the quality of internal feedback loops, and the courage with which new ideas are pursued. For him, a culture centered on ownership, problem-solving, and experimentation is what drives sustainable results not only today but well into the future. Anant views Generative AI as more than just a tool; he believes it's fundamentally transforming business models by redefining processes, structures, working relationships, decision-making, business operations, and value chains. In the IT industry, it has begun to decouple growth and service delivery from traditional headcount-based models. Regarding the IT industry's transformation, Anant observes that headcount alone no longer defines success. The true differentiator now lies in how organizations combine domain expertise with intelligent automation. Its impact is already visible in areas such as code generation, software testing, personalized customer solutions, and advanced analytics, driving speed, precision, and innovation Anant emphasizes that leadership in this era requires clear judgment—understanding which tasks can and should be automated for efficiency, which can be augmented with AI support, and which can be amplified to drive maximum value. He believes that Generative AI should be integrated into the core strategy of the company and not viewed merely as a tactical decision. It's not about replacing people, but about helping them unlock new potential through smarter AI integration. Anant believes this mindset enables organizations to drive transformation rather than merely react, building adaptive, future-ready teams equipped for intelligent collaboration. At the heart of his leadership philosophy is a focus on developing leaders who look beyond performance metrics and value the softer dimensions of leadership—emotional intelligence, trust-building, and team alignment. While innovation and agility are critical for staying competitive, Anant believes that culture is the true accelerator. A strong, purpose-driven culture doesn't simply help organizations keep pace with change; it shapes how that change unfolds. Through mentorship, cultural stewardship, and strategic enablement, he remains committed to preparing the next generation of leaders for success in a complex and fast-changing landscape. Expressing gratitude for the recognition, Anant sees the award as a reflection of the collective vision and collaborative culture at Cogent Infotech. He extends heartfelt thanks to Manu Mehta and Nandan Banerjee for their invaluable guidance and support. "Their leadership," he says, "continues to inspire me to strive for excellence, anticipate change, and empower those around him to embrace the future with confidence." Link for cogent infotech website Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire India. Business Upturn take no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Business Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Singapore has the opportunity to become a global hub for advanced chip packaging: study
[SINGAPORE] Singapore is in prime position to become a global hub for advanced chip packaging, which could become a cornerstone for local semiconductor industry growth in the next eight years. This was one of five key opportunities for Singapore's semicon industry identified in a study conducted by consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, and commissioned by the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA). Singapore has traditionally been known as a front-end destination for semicon chips, which includes wafer fabrication, noted the firm's managing director Ravi Krishnan, who presented the study's findings on Thursday (Jul 10). But this dynamic is now changing with the growth of advanced packaging and the amount of investments going into this sector, he said. Another key opportunity for Singapore, said Krishnan, is in the area of artificial intelligence- (AI) enabled manufacturing. AI has helped to solve some challenges in the semicon industry, and tapping this technology can help to enhance Singapore's global position in the value chain, he said. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up For instance, AI can help with creating more accurate semiconductor design models, enhancing its performance before application. Yet while there are 1,100 AI-related startups in Singapore, only 'a very small number' focus on the semicon ecosystem. 'So clearly, I think this is an area for focus and opportunity,' said Krishnan. Opportunities for growth Robotics-enabled manufacturing is another 'high priority' area identified by the study. While there are a lot of robotics companies in Singapore, noted Krishnan, there are still gaps in terms of legacy tool handling, material transport and clean room compliance. 'These are areas where, potentially, the SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) can collaborate with the MNCs (multinational corporations)... in terms of developing capabilities and developing capabilities.' To that end, the study also recommended initiatives which Singapore can consider tapping. One suggestion is to create a portal for semicon-related SMEs so that MNCs have a comprehensive database on the existing capabilities by local enterprises for collaborations. Singapore can also consider creating an open innovation platform on which SMEs can bid for innovation projections to co-develop solutions for MNCs. The final two suggestions are to integrate semicon projects into the national AI and additive manufacturing strategies, and to develop a road map for Singapore's advance packaging development. The Singapore brand Krishnan was speaking at SSIA's annual Business Connect conference, which convenes executives across the global semiconductor value chain to discuss developments in the industry. In his speech at the conference, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan said Singapore remains a safe and trusted destination amid the current global uncertainties. 'We are constantly looking at how the situation changes, but in periods of uncertainty, I think businesses value safety and also trust,' he said. 'And that's what the Singapore brand offers.' The government remains optimistic about the semicon industry and global trends such as AI and next-generation wireless communications. Separately, SSIA signed a memorandum of understanding with Nanyang Polytechnic and the University of Singapore to co-develop the Certified AI Practitioner in Engineering AI Competency Framework. 'This national-level effort aims to establish clear certification standards, co-designed by industry and academia, to ensure the semiconductor workforce is equipped with critical AI skills,' said the trade association in a statement. It will lead industry promotion and adoption of the framework across its network.
